Sleeve-valve engine



June 17, 1930. A. M. NIVEN SLEEVE VALVE ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 20, 1927 will IN VEN TOR. Ak/e, fi dC M/YM/m A TTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1927 A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 17, 1930 Austria 1 MACBIIAIL Niven, or nnrnorr,

MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR- IO CONTINENTAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA sieevamws seems An mat on filed nine 2 This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to the sleeve valvetype of engine. type of engine it is customary and desirable to provide the fuel intake at the side of the engine opposite to the exhaust outlet. Therefore drfiiculty has'been experiencedin providing efficient and at the same time compat't and Well appearing apparatus for heatlin the intake manifold or .nke gases at one or more points by the exhaust gases. It has been customary to locate the exhaust manifold and intake manifold on opposite sides of the engine and then extend a pipe, ordinarily branched from the exhaust mane told, either around the engine block or else arched above the engine block whereby some or all of the exhaust gases-are conduct-ed to the intake manifold to form one or more so-calle'd hotspots for heating the intake gases to form the desired mixture. Such prior devices are quite ineiiicient since the exhaust gases do not pass directly to the intake manifold; furthermore the provision 'F of the branched exhaust pipe around or above the cylinder block destroys to considerable degree the otherwise attractive and pleasing appearanceo'i this type of engine besides adding to the complexity of the englne.

My invention has among its objects the provision of for overcoming the aforesaid objectionable characteristics of the sleeve valve engine especially and particularly that type of sleeve valve engine employing a pair of reciprocating sleeves commonly located between the piston and cylinder Wall. This type of engine to which my present invention relates is of a well known type ordinarily referred to as the Knight engine. r l

With theioregoing andother objects in view my invention provides a novel combination and arrangement of parts as more particularly hereinafter described and claimed.- 1

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference characters indicate correspond ing parts through the several views,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation view through In this general 192?. Serial 199,831.

a typical cylinder of the engine showing the i V sleea es positioned for intake,. i

Fig; 2 IS a like view showing the sleeve positioned for thecompression stroke,

Fig. 3 is a like view showing the sleeves positioned for firing, Fig. 4 is a like view showing the sleeves positioned for exhaust, the sleeves. also having provision at this time for supplying a p. l n of the exhaust to heat the intake manifold,

l ig. 5 is a sectional elevation view between adjacent cylinders, and

Fig. 6 is a plansectional view along 6@ of Fig- 5". q

In the represents the engine block having one or indrecylinders 10, theintake charge from intakeinanifold B to the cylinders and the exhaust from the cylinders to the exhaust manifold C, being controlled by cooperating reciprocating sleeve valves 11 and 11 To this end the sleeve valve 11 is provided with one or more of the usual intake ports 13 and exhaust ports 14 and the sleeve valve 11 is provided with one or'more intake ports 15 and exhaust ports 16; the intake and exhaust ports of each. ceve ceoperating to control the cyclic events of the engine according to g ine. As shown in Fig. l the sleeves may operated from a cranlr layshaft 17 suitably driven from the crankshaft for example at half the speed thereof for a four stroke cycle e eiinegthe sleeves being reciprocated by links 18 and 19 connected to cranksproperly relatively spaced. ang'ularly to provide the desired functioning of the ports.

The intake manifold B is formed with the usual carburetor connection 20, the gases be ing divided at 21 into branches 22, 23 hav ing outlet passages leading to the cylinders 10: Around the T-connection 21 I have located a casing or jacket-24 having one or me e exhaust inlet openings 25 communicating with one or more conduits 26 leading to aconvenient cylinder or cylinders.) As shown I prefer to form the conduit 26 in the form of a passage through the cylinder bieck. The exhaust gases from openings 25 drawings reference character A circulate around the T-connection 21, whence they may be exhausted direct to the atmosphere or returned conveniently to the exhaust manifold C. Thus such gases may be passed through jacket outlet 27 and passage 28 which extends through the cylinder casting intermediate adjacent cylinders, the gases then passing to the exhaust manifold through the conduit 29. Baffles 30 may be located between inlets 26 and outlet 27 or at other desired points to insure proper circulation of exhaust gases in the heating jacket 24.

The exhaust manifold C may be of any well known or other preferred type. I have illustrated this manifold as having a main longitudinal exhaust chamber 31 into which exhaust gases pass by suitable conduits connecting the various cylinders. At the point where the passage 29 connects into the exhaust pipe it may be desirable to form the parts so as to produce an induction or autoextraction effect in the exhaust gases from the heating jacket. Thus where the main exhaust gases are conducted away from the midpoint of the manifold C the outlet 29 may terminate somewhat in the direction of the flow of the main exhaust gases whereby an induction effect is set up assisting in circulatmg the exhaust gases from the heating acket.

The flow of auxiliary gases from one or more of the cylinders to the heating jacket may be as follows. Figs. 1 to 4 illustrate the relative positions of the reciprocating sleeves 11 and 11 whereby the cooperating intake and exhaust ports of the sleeve will function in the well known manner to properly register with each other and with the intake and exhaust manifolds respectively in producing the valving functions desired. At proper and convenient points in'each of the sleeves auxiliary or additional cooperating ports are provided such as the port 33 in sleeve 11 and the port 34 in sleeve 11. These auxiliary ports are located so as to register with each other and with the outlet 26 leading to jacket 24 during the whole or part of the time when the cylinder is exhausting, viz., when sleeve exhaust ports 14 and 16 register with each other and with the passage 32 leading to the exhaust manifold C. At other times these auxiliary ports 33 and 34 do not register with any of the passages leading from the cylinder as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 and the auxiliary ports will at all such times be sufficiently spaced to provide the desirable seal between the sleeves. The particulanarrangement illustrated shows two of the cylinders adapted for supplying auxiliary exhaust to the heating jacket although it is apparent that one or any number of the cylinders may be arranged to perform this function. Furthermore the size and number of the auxiliary ports may be varied to suit the conditions of heating desired. The details of the illustrated arrangement of j acketing the intake manifold may be modified as desired since it may be preferred to apply the heat to other portions of the manifold or elsewhere along the distribution of the combustible charge to the cylinder.

One important feature of 'my invention resides in providing means for passing exhaust gases directly to heat the intake gases in an engine of the double reciprocating sleeve type wherein the exhaust and intake cylinder ports are ordinarily arranged so as not to permit a convenient hot spot construction. I am thus enabled to obtain the benefits of an efficient fuel mixture commonly incorporated in the ordinary poppet valve engine and other engines having the intake and exhaust manifolds conveniently located on the same side of thecylinder block. F urthermore I avoid unattractive and inefiicient exhaust transfer pipes for conducting the exhaust gases, after they leave the cylinders, to an intake manifold located remotely such as on the side of the cylinder block opposite the exhaust manifold.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exhaust ports, a pair of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and having reciprocating movement with respect to the cylinder axis, a piston reciprocating within said sleeves, said sleeves provided with main intake and exhaust ports moving with the sleeves to control the main cylinder intake and exhaust ports respectively, fuel conducting means for the cylinder intake ports, said sleeve valves and cylinder provided with auxiliary ports communicating during that portion of the engine cycle when the main exhaust ports of the sleeves and cylinder are in registration, and means conducting the auxiliary exhaust gases from the auxiliary ports to heat the fuel conducting means.

2. An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exhaust ports, a pair of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and having reciprocating movement with respect to the cylinder axis, a piston reciprocating within said sleeves, said sleeves provided with main intake and exhaust ports moving with thesleeves to control the main cylinder intake and exhaust ports respectively, fuel conducting means for the cylinder intake ports, said sleeve valves and cylinder provided with auxiliary ports communicating during that portion of the engine cycle when the main exhaust ports of the sleeves and cylinder are in registration, and means conducting the auxiliary exhaust gases from the auxiliary ports to heat the fuel conducting means, said cylinder main intake and exhaust ports lying substantially in a common plane perpendicular with the cylinder axis,

3. An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exnaust ports, a pair of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and having reciprocating movement with respect to the cylinder axis, a piston reciprocating within said sleeves, said sleeves provided withmain intake and exhaust ports moving with the sleeves to control the main cylinder intake and exhaust ports respectively, fuel conducting means for the cylinder intake ports, said sleeve valves and cylinder provided with auxiliary ports communicating during that portion of the engine cycle when the main exhaust ports of the sleeves and cylinder are in registration, and means conducting the auxiliary exhaust gases from the auxiliary ports to heat the fuel conducting means, said cylinder main intake and exhaust ports lying substantially in a common plane perpendicular with the ylinder axis, said cylinder auxiliary port being positioned below the said main intake and exhaust of the cylinder.

4:. An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exhaust ports, a pair of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and having reciprocating movement with respect to the cylinder axis, a piston reciprocating within said sleeves, said sleeves provided with main intake and exhaust ports moving with the sleeves to control the main cylinder intake and exhaust ports respectively, fuel conducting means for the cylinder intake ports, said sleeve valves and cylinder provided with auxiliary ports communicating during that portion of the engine cycle when the main exhaust ports of the sleeves and cylinder are in registration, means conducting the auxiliary exhaust gases from ing means, and means for thereafter conducting the said auxiliary exhaust gases to mix with the main exhaust gases passing from the main cylinder exhaust port.

An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exhaust ports, a pair of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and having reciprocating movement with respect to the cylinder axis, a piston reciprocating within-said sleeves provided with main intake and exhaust ports moving with the sleeves to control the main cylinder intake and exhaust ports respectively, fuel conducting means for the cylinder intake ports, said sleeve valves and cylinder provided with auxiliary ports communicating during that portion of the engine cycle when the main exhaust ports of the sleeves and cylinder are in registration, means conthe auxiliary ports to heat the fuel conductducting the auxiliary exhaust gases from the auxiliary ports to heat the fuel conducting means, and means for thereafter conducting the said auxiliary exhaust gases to mix with the main exhaust gases passing from the main cylinder exhaust port, said lastnamed means including a cylinder passageway.

6. An engine comprising in combination, a cylinder provided with main intake and exhaust ports, a plurality of sleeve valves concentrically arranged with the cylinder and ported forcontrolling the said cylinder main intake and exhaust ports, means conducting fuel to the cylinder intake port, and means independent of said cylinder main ports and controlled by said sleeve valves for conducting auxiliary exhaust gases to heat the fuel.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 16th day of June, A. D. 1927.

' ARCHIE MAGPHAIL NIVEN. 

